AUTUMN

AUTUMN - THE YEAR'S LAST, LOVELIEST SMILE

Euros, the God of Autumn brought the wind from the East to hearld the change of the season - and the cocktails of the season should be a perfect match for the nights drawing in and the new chill in the air.

Utilising seasonal produce and garnishes, you can make your own gorgeous imbibe - to either toast in front of the fire or at those pre-festive parties. Food should be warming and hearty - and with a delicious Gin kick to bring it to life!

Our suggested perfect serve of the season is with grapefruit and rosemary - serve over lashings of ice and a decent light tonic. Its scent and sweetness will transport you to a mediterrean garden which is probably sunnier than your own one at home!

LYCHEE PUNCH

The lychee is a chinese delicacy which is famous for its perfumed sweetness beneath the tough and slightly prickly exterior. It is perfect in cocktails - the flesh is juicy and flavoursome, while the distinctive scent provides an added air of exotic luxury to classic ingredients.
This cocktail has been developed by our own team - taking inspiration from travels to Asia and a lot of experimentation on student gap years (with cocktails and nothing else of course)...

INGREDIENTS

25ml Worsley Gin

15ml Lychee Liqueur

Soda Water (or lemonade if you like things very sweet)

Lychees

Lime Slices

Ice

METHOD

In a mixer add the liqueur and the Gin and stir until well blended. In a tall glass spend a few minutes fiddling with the lychees to relieve them of their skins and place a few in the bottom of the glass with ice.

Pour over the Gin mixture and top with soda water. For a very sweet taste then use lemonade - we think the Worsley Team is sweet enough and so should use a soda! Garnish to your hearts desire with lime slices and more lychees artistically displayed. This is a drink to be enjoyed slowly - not because its particularly potent, but because it is sweet and fragrant - and in this case too much of a good thing can be bad for you!

BLACKBERRY COLLINS

As the summer turns to Autumn the blackberry bushes still have the remnants of their yield and they are the most succulent berries to enjoy - making the Blackberry Collins a perfect cocktail to take you between the seasons.

There are countless recipes all claiming to be unique for the Blackberry Collins, so we cannot take any credit for bringing you this formula for fizzy fun - however the combination of Worsley Gin with the blackberries gives an out of this world flavour - and we will take credit for that!

INGREDIENTS

40ml Worsley Gin

15ml Blackberry Liqueur

10ml Fresh Lime Juice

1 tsp Sugar

3-5 Blackberries

Soda Water

Ice & Mint leaves to garnish

METHOD

In a mixing glass add the Fresh Lime Juice, Blackberries and sugar and using a pestle or a muddler, give them a good disturbance to unlock the juices and mix into a glorious mess.

In a tall glass scoop in the muddled ingredients, add the Ice and pour in the Gin.

Fill with the soda and give it a good stir until some of the blackberries rise to the surface.

Finally pour the Blackberry liqueur over the top and serve - preferably whilst scrolling the net for next years summer vacation!

BLOOD ORANGE MARTINI

The Martini is an international institution - synonymous across the globe for being an elegant aperitif for the both the aristocracy and the glitterati. This strong imbibe is designed to be sipped slowly as its pretty potent - Dorothy Parker famously said

"I like to have a martini, two at most, three I'm under the table, four I'm under the host"

This version is a deliciously rich and zingy treat - a modern update on a traditional masterpiece.

INGREDIENTS

50ml Worsley Gin

20ml Triple Sec

30ml Blood Orange Juice

Blood Orange Slices

METHOD

Combine all of the liquid ingredients into a shaker with Ice.

Donning your best James Bond style, give the mix a spirited shake and strain into a martini glass.

To enjoy this at its best, you must be dressed in your finest and be engaged in topical conversation - only kidding, this tastes wonderful in your pyjamas after a long rainy day too.

PORK & GIN ONE POT

When the weather is miserable, the days are short and you are craving comfort food, then look no further than this soothing sumptuous one pot. If you are looking for lean and light, then this recipe is definitely not for you! However if you need a hug from your dinner then this is perfect...

INGREDIENTS

4 pork loin steaks
1 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2-3 Portobello mushrooms chopped
2 rosemary sprigs, chopped
1 tbsp Worsley Gin
100ml stock, pork or chicken
1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
200g double cream
salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Rub your pork loin steaks with some sea salt and tenderise (you can use a rolling pin or posh utensil, whichever you have to hand!)
In a cast iron pan or a stainless steal pan heat a tablespoon of olive oil and brown your steaks in it for no longer than 2 minutes on each side.
Remove the meat to a separate plate and set aside.
To the same pan add shallots and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning for 3 minutes, than add mushroom and chopped rosemary and cook for 5 more minutes.
When shallot and mushroom juices evaporate and the pan is dry, add the gin while scraping the burnt bits with a wooden spoon.
Add stock,whole grain mustard and cream, and then stir to combine.
Return pork loin steaks to the pan, bring to a boil and let it simmer for 2 minutes longer and take the pan off the heat. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Enjoy with rice or potatoes and feel the creamy deliciousness envelop you in a warm hug!

PEA & GIN SOUP

"Soup is cuisines kindest course" Virginia Woolf.

That kind of says it all.

This soup screams freshness and the hint of mint pairs perfectly with the warmth of the Worsley Gin. You just have to give this a go!

PEA & GIN SOUP

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil and butter

½ bunch spring onion sliced,

1 potato diced

900ml hot vegetable stock

100ml Worsley Gin

900g frozen petits pois

85g parmesan finely grated

METHOD

Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy based pan. Add the spring onions and potato. Gently pan cook for about 5 mins. Add the Worsley Gin, stir in the stock and then bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 mins. Stir in the peas, bring to the boil again, then cook for about 3 mins until they are just done. Remove the pan from the heat and whizz in a blender or food processor until smooth.

To make the Parmesan biscuits, heat the grill to high. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and divide the grated Parmesan into 6 long strips. Grill for 1 min or until the cheese has melted and is lightly golden. While still warm and a bit flexible, release the biscuits from the baking parchment with a palette or cutlery knife, then cool until firm.

GIN AND TONIC CHEESECAKE

This is the ultimate in pudding inspiration and is a delicious boozy treat. Interestingly cheesecake is seen as a really modern sweet dessert, however recipes actually date back as far as Ancient Greece where a baked version was served to the athletes during the first Olympic games. This obviously makes this the pudding of champions and we are in love with this no bake recipe.

INGREDIENTS

The Base:

8 Digestive Biscuits

6 tbsp Caster Sugar

80g Unsalted Butter

1 measure of Tonic

The Cheesecake:

400g Mascarpone

7 tbsp Icing Sugar

Juice of 1 Lime

Zest of half Lime

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

600 ml Double Cream

25ml Gin (or more depending on taste)

METHOD

Put butter and sugar into a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently. Crush the biscuits roughly using a food processor (or the end of a rolling pin) and add them in, removing the pan from the heat and stirring gently. Add the tonic in three lots, ensuring that the base doesn’t go mushy – it should be slightly crumbly.

In a large bowl, gently stir the mascarpone to loosen it and then add the lime juice and part of the jest to it along with the icing sugar and vanilla. Pour the gin in slowly, ensuring that the mixture doesn’t get too runny (if it does, either stop adding gin or add mascarpone – the decision is yours).

Whip the cream into firm peaks, including the rest of the zest, before gently folding into the mascarpone mixture, ensuring the mixture stays fairly solid.

Put both the crumbly base and the gin-infused cheese-mix into a dish and chill in the fridge. If you are feeling very adventurous you can line ramekins with cling film and put the mixture in upside down (i.e. base at the top) so that you can tip them onto plates to serve.